Free A Second Chance by Bernadette Marie Page A

small trash can she kept by the
bedside and set it next to her.
    He called the school and convinced
them he was sick, but the principal wasn’t happy and made it
perfectly clear.
    He carried the bags to her room and
found her sleeping. That had to be a positive, he thought. At least
she was getting some rest and had stopped heaving.
    The best thing for him to do was to
make himself at home and do what he could for her while she slept.
He brewed a pot of coffee, did the breakfast dishes, and mopped up
the bathroom. If she was going to be spending time on the floor,
it’d better be clean.
    He’d finished his conference notes by
the time he heard her stirring in her room, and he went to
her.
    He carried in a tray with the soup
he’d found in the fridge, some tea, and a few ginger pills. He set
it on her nightstand and turned on the small lamp. “Are you feeling
any better?”
    “ My stomach is
sore.”
    “ I’ll bet.” He closed the
blind so that the light was soft. “Is that okay?”
    “ Yes. Thanks.”
    “ Let’s get you situated.” He
gathered her into his arms, and she clung to him. For a moment he
held on to the feeling of her near him. He knew it was for
strength, but a part of him felt a deeper connection.
    He arranged pillows until she could
sit up against them.
    He handed her the pills and a glass of
water. “Here, it’s ginger. Curtis says to take them and they’ll
help with the nausea.”
    She nodded and took the
pills.
    Carlos kicked off his shoes, picked up
the bowl he’d carried in, and walked around the other side of the
bed. Careful not to spill the contents of the bowl, he scooted
across the mattress until he sat next to her. “Let’s get something
in your belly.”
    “ Carlos, I can’t eat,” she
said weakly.
    “ You need to try. You’re not
going to fight off anything if you don’t keep up your
strength.”
    He lifted the spoon to her lips, and
she slurped then laid her head back on the pillow.
    “ Try some more.” He lifted
the spoon to her lips again and she took another sip. “Okay, now
we’re making progress.”
    This time when she laid her head back,
it rested on his shoulder. Instinctively he kissed her
forehead.
    “ So he told you I was sick?
I asked him not to.”
    “ Ed? No, he kept your
secret.”
    Madeline turned her eyes up at him.
“How did you know?”
    “ Christian called me from
the school office because he was so worried about you.” Gently he
tilted her face with his fingers and looked down into her eyes.
“You’re not doing yourself any favors by having Ed lie to me about
your condition.”
    “ I didn’t tell him to lie. I
just told him to tell you I was okay. Which I am, by the
way.”
    “ No, you’re not. When is
your next doctor appointment?”
    “ Tomorrow.”
    “ I’m taking you.”
    Madeline tried to sit up and turn away
from him, but Carlos guided her back to his shoulder. Then he
lifted the spoon of soup back to her lips and she took another
sip.
    “ You need to be at work. You
worked too damn hard to get that job. You’d better keep it,” she
argued.
    “ For your sake I will. If it
weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have the education to even have the
job. But for once in your life, admit you need some
help.”
    She sat silently for a moment. “This
was never supposed to happen.” He heard the quiver in her voice and
then felt her body shake as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’ve
never been sick a day in my life.”
    “ I know, honey.” He set the
bowl of soup on the other nightstand and gathered her in his arms
and held her against his chest.
    “ Look at me. I’m a mess. My
skin is pasty, my boobs are missing, and now my hair is falling out
in clumps.” She threw a hand in the air. “My husband left me and is
marrying someone else…”
    “ Wait.” He adjusted to see
her better. “Matt is getting married?”
    She nodded. “And she’s
pregnant.”
    “ Son of a bitch!” His hand
formed into a fist at his side. If it